Well the continent hopping continues... I am writing this from the breakfast room (aka bar) of a lovely hostel in Edinburgh's old town, enjoying majestic views of the castle and churches. Quite a world away from the skyscrapers and markets of Hong Kong.
My flight was good, or as good as an overnight, jam-packed, 13 hour flight can be. The nicest part was having someone waiting for me on the other end with a "Ms. Nishi Kumar" sign and friendly smile. I've gotten so used to the nomadic lifestyle, i forget sometimes how nice it is to have someone anticipating your arrival. I stayed for a day and night in Rachana Mainji's and Uday Mama's beautiful house in Surrey where I caught up on sleep, family gossip, and made up for a few months without a good cup of chai. Lucky for me, Triple Mama and Mainji were also in town so I got to enjoy their company, as well as that of Uday Mama's two sons who are quite well-behaved and polite! (Unlike my own badmash cousins!) They also took me around Hampton Court and to a lovely pub on the Thames for some British fare.
I met Jamie on Saturday in London and we wasted time in the rainy, cold city until our overnight bus to Edinburgh. Yesterday was a sunny day here and we enjoyed an outdoor jazz festival, a long self-guided walking tour of the "royal mile," and countless ice creams and coffees. Its good being with my friend again! I will do a complete update (with pictures) when i get to London on Wednesday!
Monday, August 3, 2009
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Last week in Hong Kong!
Its actually down to my last eight hours now...I'm flying off to London at midnight tonight for a two-week trip through Europe with my friend Jamie. We will be country hopping through Edinburgh, London, Paris, Brugge, and Amsterdam before returning to Atlanta on August 14th!
This past weekend was a whirlwind of excitement...I went to Macau on Saturday morning for a day-trip, and it was (sadly) the closest I got to mainland China this summer! Macau is grimy and crowded, but the East-meets-West architecture and lifestyle were very interesting. I felt like I could be walking through a little Italian or Spanish town. The Portegeuse influence (it was a colony until about ten years ago) is most vividly seen in the pretty churches and delicious food. I ate wayyy more in 10 hours than any rational human being is supposed to consume. We also stopped by the infamous casino strip for a touristy light-animal-craziness show at the Wynn where a friend managed to win 600 HKD playing blackjack, completely accidentally. I don't trust my luck enough to do that!
Sunday I made the trip to Lantau, one of the largest islands near Hong Kong and only about a 40 minute ferry ride away. We took a cable car trip through some pretty treacherous cliffs to reach the tallest seated outdoor Buddha made of bronze in the world. Apparantly there are others that are larger, but they are not seated, outdoors, or made of bronze. Anyways it was very pretty and i will put up pictures when i get the chance! We then took a bus to the south of the island and had a scrumptious meal on the beach at a south african restaurant and enjoyed a night stroll before heading back.
Work was a whirlwind of goodbyes and wrapping up projects this week. I also go to go out and interview some people on the street Monday because the broadcast journalism was out sick...I was on the 9 am news!
Its the last day so i need to go finish up everything! Next update from Europe!
This past weekend was a whirlwind of excitement...I went to Macau on Saturday morning for a day-trip, and it was (sadly) the closest I got to mainland China this summer! Macau is grimy and crowded, but the East-meets-West architecture and lifestyle were very interesting. I felt like I could be walking through a little Italian or Spanish town. The Portegeuse influence (it was a colony until about ten years ago) is most vividly seen in the pretty churches and delicious food. I ate wayyy more in 10 hours than any rational human being is supposed to consume. We also stopped by the infamous casino strip for a touristy light-animal-craziness show at the Wynn where a friend managed to win 600 HKD playing blackjack, completely accidentally. I don't trust my luck enough to do that!
Sunday I made the trip to Lantau, one of the largest islands near Hong Kong and only about a 40 minute ferry ride away. We took a cable car trip through some pretty treacherous cliffs to reach the tallest seated outdoor Buddha made of bronze in the world. Apparantly there are others that are larger, but they are not seated, outdoors, or made of bronze. Anyways it was very pretty and i will put up pictures when i get the chance! We then took a bus to the south of the island and had a scrumptious meal on the beach at a south african restaurant and enjoyed a night stroll before heading back.
Work was a whirlwind of goodbyes and wrapping up projects this week. I also go to go out and interview some people on the street Monday because the broadcast journalism was out sick...I was on the 9 am news!
Its the last day so i need to go finish up everything! Next update from Europe!
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
When the dog eats the sun...
SOLAR ECLIPSE!! It was so amazing to be in Asia for the longest solar eclipse of our lifetimes...and for probably the most watched eclipse in history. I went with the news crew to a mountain outside of Hong Kong earlyyy this morning to take pictures of over 1000 people who had gathered to observe the eclipse. I expected craziness and costumes...but the telescopes and astronomy were still pretty cool. Here it was only a partial eclipse, so i still got too much sun being outside for that long!
The weekend was good--Friday night I met up with cousins/uncles from Delhi and showed them around a bit. Saturday was another alumni brunch (I'm getting spoiled) Italian this time. Then wandered around the jade and goldfish markets in Mong Kok until it started raining. And it continued raining through the evening, dinner, and the Harry Potter 6 movie so when we got out of the theater it was officially a TYPHOON LEVEL 9! The highest level is 10 so this was pretty bad, they shut down all the public transportation and I almost got blown away trying to hail a cab.
The next day cleared up pretty early and it was nice to have a refreshing breeze for once. I enjoyed a trip to Kowloon Park, especially watching the Philippino domestic workers enjoy their day off with spontaneous Bollywood dance parties. Also went to the huge History of Hong Kong museum which had a great set up and really interesting cultural displays. Concluded the weekend with the twenty minute light-and-music show on the harbor (largest light show in the world) and delicious Indian food in the sketchy brown-town neighborhood. Perfect day :)
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
I still can't use chopsticks...
Which you think would keep me from consuming such large amounts of food, but I have managed to overcome my handicap with some creative maneuvering…usually I just spear my food toothpick style.
This weekend was another wonderful one. We were constantly on the lookout for the level 8 typhoon that was supposed to hit, but the most we experienced was a light drizzle. Saturday morning we were taken on a private tour of the Hong Kong container port run by Hutchison Whampoa Limited. The head legal counsel and the CFO of Hutchinson then took us out for a huge Cantonese country-style lunch and impressed us with their stories of body guards, attempted kidnappings, and secret meetings with foreign heads of state. Who knew Hong Kong’s port was so important and busy…it’s the 3rd largest in the world and over 7,000 trucks carrying cargo enter and exit the port every day. I then had a lazy Saturday afternoon, mainly spent digesting, and then were treated to a swanky night on the town by another Columbia alum…all I can say is I didn’t know they made bottles of Moet that big!
Sunday we took a 45 minutes ferry to the island of Lamma, on the southern side of Hong Kong Island. It is mainly populated by “fisherfolk” and famous for its clean(er) beachs, beautiful hikes, and delicious seafood. I really enjoyed the Buddhist temple, hiking through the brush to a rocky beach for the sunset, and picking out the live fish that were cooked for dinner. I did not enjoy the millions of mosquitoes, a re-outbreak of my heat rash, and huge spiders the size of my face. Nature and I have a love-hate relationship. It was really interesting how such a touristy island has maintained so much of its authentic charm—the only way to get between the two towns is walking or biking, the houses are the same run-down traditional Chinese huts, and we witnessed locals fishing, digging for clams, and tending their small farms.
Last night I also had a great dinner at a place that was featured on the Travel Channel show “Anthony Bourdain.” Highlights were the beer drunk out of bowls, the wasabi-covered cold octopus, and the spicy ox tail. Delicious.
Funny sight of the week: a room full of elderly Chinese ladies perfecting their hip thrusts in my “Bollywood fusion” Tuesday yoga/dance class. I would have taken pictures but I think that might have been rude.
Yum. They were alive.
The beach was a relief after our scary hike.
My friend Amy on the beach
I got a pedicure :)
This weekend was another wonderful one. We were constantly on the lookout for the level 8 typhoon that was supposed to hit, but the most we experienced was a light drizzle. Saturday morning we were taken on a private tour of the Hong Kong container port run by Hutchison Whampoa Limited. The head legal counsel and the CFO of Hutchinson then took us out for a huge Cantonese country-style lunch and impressed us with their stories of body guards, attempted kidnappings, and secret meetings with foreign heads of state. Who knew Hong Kong’s port was so important and busy…it’s the 3rd largest in the world and over 7,000 trucks carrying cargo enter and exit the port every day. I then had a lazy Saturday afternoon, mainly spent digesting, and then were treated to a swanky night on the town by another Columbia alum…all I can say is I didn’t know they made bottles of Moet that big!
Sunday we took a 45 minutes ferry to the island of Lamma, on the southern side of Hong Kong Island. It is mainly populated by “fisherfolk” and famous for its clean(er) beachs, beautiful hikes, and delicious seafood. I really enjoyed the Buddhist temple, hiking through the brush to a rocky beach for the sunset, and picking out the live fish that were cooked for dinner. I did not enjoy the millions of mosquitoes, a re-outbreak of my heat rash, and huge spiders the size of my face. Nature and I have a love-hate relationship. It was really interesting how such a touristy island has maintained so much of its authentic charm—the only way to get between the two towns is walking or biking, the houses are the same run-down traditional Chinese huts, and we witnessed locals fishing, digging for clams, and tending their small farms.
Last night I also had a great dinner at a place that was featured on the Travel Channel show “Anthony Bourdain.” Highlights were the beer drunk out of bowls, the wasabi-covered cold octopus, and the spicy ox tail. Delicious.
Funny sight of the week: a room full of elderly Chinese ladies perfecting their hip thrusts in my “Bollywood fusion” Tuesday yoga/dance class. I would have taken pictures but I think that might have been rude.
Yum. They were alive.
The beach was a relief after our scary hike.
My friend Amy on the beach
I got a pedicure :)
Fishing for dinner
Dinner was looking at me.
Friday, July 10, 2009
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Pollution, pollution, pollution
Well i'm an official hong kong-er now! I have a pollution-induced respiratory infection and sore throat and a humidity/hot yoga induced all-over itchy rash. just lovely.
Monday, July 6, 2009
Get thee to a nunnery!
Okay, i'm getting a little discouraged from updating this regularly again...is anyone actually reading?? Plus, the typhoon-ish weather has made serious exploring a little problematic.
This past week at work was pretty exciting. I tagged along with one of the reporters Pauline Chiou, on Wednesday to the handover day protests. I enjoyed talking to the many protestors and taking pictures even though it was a hot, hot day. There didn't seem to be a real comprehensive agenda...it was more like a protest "fair" with table after table of demonstrators with different causes, handouts, and decorated umbrellas. The most popular cause of the day seemed to be universal suffrage, now pushed back to 2017. Some of the photos I took are here: http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/asiapcf/07/01/hongkong.handoverday/index.html
This weekend, in a psuedo-celebration of July 4th, all the interns were treated to a buffet-style dim sum lunch at the China Club, in the old Bank of China building, which is kind-of a "anyone-who's-anyone"-has-a-membership sort of place. The views were pretty nice, and about 4 hours of digestation were necessary afterwards. The alum who treated us made a couple comments, including "well i'm glad I got my money's worth out of that buffet" and "i forgot how much college kids eat, even the girls!" which made me think we may have overdone it a bit... My favorite were the Peking duck pancakes. Deeeeelicious. We had also been invited to an evening bbq/fireworks celebration at the American Club (just to mix things up a bit) but it was cancelled on account of the weather.
Sunday we had planned a trip to Lantau, the biggest island outside of Hong Kong where there are good hikes, beaches, and a huge gold buddha statue. Unfortunately a combination of thunderstorms and waking up late kept our sightseeing to the neighborhood. We visited a Daoist (i think) nunnery at Diamond Hill with serenic temples, tea shops, lotus pools, and banyan groves. An afternoon shower only added to the alluring peacefulness of the area, and its traditional architecture was emphasized by a background of typical Hong Kong skyscrapers. We then headed to Kowloon City for delicious (cheap) thai food and a tour of the Kowloon Walled City Park which until 1992 was a teeming mass of squalid and towering apartment buildings, not subject to any laws, government, or order. It wasn't eliminated until 1992, and now there is a park with exhibits of the history of the area.
Only three more weeks left and I have so much more to see!
The ingenious gutter system at the nunnery
One of the little lake-side temples
The lotus pond
This past week at work was pretty exciting. I tagged along with one of the reporters Pauline Chiou, on Wednesday to the handover day protests. I enjoyed talking to the many protestors and taking pictures even though it was a hot, hot day. There didn't seem to be a real comprehensive agenda...it was more like a protest "fair" with table after table of demonstrators with different causes, handouts, and decorated umbrellas. The most popular cause of the day seemed to be universal suffrage, now pushed back to 2017. Some of the photos I took are here: http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/asiapcf/07/01/hongkong.handoverday/index.html
This weekend, in a psuedo-celebration of July 4th, all the interns were treated to a buffet-style dim sum lunch at the China Club, in the old Bank of China building, which is kind-of a "anyone-who's-anyone"-has-a-membership sort of place. The views were pretty nice, and about 4 hours of digestation were necessary afterwards. The alum who treated us made a couple comments, including "well i'm glad I got my money's worth out of that buffet" and "i forgot how much college kids eat, even the girls!" which made me think we may have overdone it a bit... My favorite were the Peking duck pancakes. Deeeeelicious. We had also been invited to an evening bbq/fireworks celebration at the American Club (just to mix things up a bit) but it was cancelled on account of the weather.
Sunday we had planned a trip to Lantau, the biggest island outside of Hong Kong where there are good hikes, beaches, and a huge gold buddha statue. Unfortunately a combination of thunderstorms and waking up late kept our sightseeing to the neighborhood. We visited a Daoist (i think) nunnery at Diamond Hill with serenic temples, tea shops, lotus pools, and banyan groves. An afternoon shower only added to the alluring peacefulness of the area, and its traditional architecture was emphasized by a background of typical Hong Kong skyscrapers. We then headed to Kowloon City for delicious (cheap) thai food and a tour of the Kowloon Walled City Park which until 1992 was a teeming mass of squalid and towering apartment buildings, not subject to any laws, government, or order. It wasn't eliminated until 1992, and now there is a park with exhibits of the history of the area.
Only three more weeks left and I have so much more to see!
The ingenious gutter system at the nunnery
One of the little lake-side temples
The lotus pond
An interesting tribute to Mao at the China Club
Monday, June 29, 2009
Its an EPIDEMIC of SEVERE PROPORTION
Well despite the awful weather and swine flu epidemic (someone in my dorm has been diagnosed with it so there are currently warnings/face masks everywhere) life in Hong Kong is going rather well! Thursday night we went up to Victoria Peak via cable car and enjoyed gorgeous night views of the habour and skyline. Friday my alumni mentor (who is a bigwig at a Hutchinson shipping company) invited us all to her luxury apartment for dinner and to practice the Columbia fight song for Saturday night’s Black Tie Ivy League Ball. It was at the Grand Hyatt and quite grand, with a four course dinner, fusion dance performances, a live band, and an exciting cheer competition that Columbia won of course. I also have never witnessed so much pretension in one (ball)room…but I guess that is to be expected!
As it was a rainy weekend, I did not do too much exploring, but we did go to a funny Indian/Swiss movie “Tandoori Love” as part of the Asian film festival last night and find really good Mexican food afterwards. If I needed evidence of globalization, I found it through a delicious steak burrito in the middle of Hong Kong.
Work is going well…we have a holiday for the “Handover Day” on Wednesday. CNN doesn’t actually recognize the public holidays here (there are tons of them) but I managed to wrangle myself a half day off. There is going to be a joint celebration of handover (from Brits to Chinese) and protest of the new Chinese censorship laws. Should be pretty interesting. Maybe I’ll join a picket line somewhere and put my rebellious Ivy League education to some good use.
As it was a rainy weekend, I did not do too much exploring, but we did go to a funny Indian/Swiss movie “Tandoori Love” as part of the Asian film festival last night and find really good Mexican food afterwards. If I needed evidence of globalization, I found it through a delicious steak burrito in the middle of Hong Kong.
Work is going well…we have a holiday for the “Handover Day” on Wednesday. CNN doesn’t actually recognize the public holidays here (there are tons of them) but I managed to wrangle myself a half day off. There is going to be a joint celebration of handover (from Brits to Chinese) and protest of the new Chinese censorship laws. Should be pretty interesting. Maybe I’ll join a picket line somewhere and put my rebellious Ivy League education to some good use.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
I don't know why Asian horse jockeys
surprised me, but they did. Went to the last horse races of the season last evening at Happy Valley Racetrack. It was an experience...screaming expats in work attire, old Chinese men with full pitchers of San Miguel, and a huge racecourse with a backdrop of skyscrapers. I didn't bet, but my roommate won 150 HKD. Beginner's luck, we were told.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Escaping the city
View of the boat parking lot
Where we docked for swimming
Im on a boat!
The lovely beach at sunset
View from the restaurant where we had lunch
Delicious dumplingsss
PIRATE SHIP in the HK harbor
Monday, June 22, 2009
IM ON A BOAT...
This week at work went by super quickly! Wednesday we had a great dinner with our CEO liason from Columbia who was in town, and then Thursday there was a fun reception at a lounge with a bunch of Columbia alum from Hong Kong. We also found a really lively street in Kowloon with lots of busy restaurants and bars and went to an interesting African live music venue (?) with some people from work. Who knew they had a thing for Bob Marley even in Hong Kong…
Friday night I accompanied my friend Hilary to the opening of a new lounge in downtown Central, and then met up with some friends at an ICE bar (it was cold but actually made out of plastic? Very confusing!) Saturday we decided to go searching for an outback steakhouse…which took approximately 2.5 hours to find…and then after a (great) cheeseburger decided to call it an early night
Sunday (Happy father’s day!) may have been one of the best days of my entire 21 years of life. No joke. One of the girls from school who lives in Hong Kong took us all out on her father’s yacht for the day and we sailed through the harbor and out to the outer islands outside of Hong Kong. The views were mainly of huge rocky cliffs and beautiful beaches and looked like something straight out of the tv show LOST. I expected clouds of black smoke and the “others” to appear at any minute! We stopped for lunch at her father’s club house and had a delicious meal of dim sum, noodles, duck, and other Chinese delicacies and then sailed on to a really nice beach where a smaller rubber boat took us to shore for a couple hours. The water was really clear, although warm and probably not that clean since there were typhoons a couple days ago, and we did some nice walks over the cliffs and to a freshwater creek nearby. The sun was quite strong, but as soon as it became evening and the breezes picked up it was truly paradise. The ride back at high speed over the bumpy waters was more terrifying than any roller coaster, but I managed to not throw up or fall overboard! We then were treated to another great meal of “Shanghai-nese” food...it was quite spicy and I by mistake ate a huge pepper and then burned my mouth gulping down tea afterwards. Very classy. For summer solstice last night they dimmed all the lights of the buildings on the harbor and set up telescopes for stargazing, but it was too cloudy and smogy to really see much of anything. Cool idea though! The skyline looks quite different without all of the multi-colored lights.
Pictures to follow!
Friday night I accompanied my friend Hilary to the opening of a new lounge in downtown Central, and then met up with some friends at an ICE bar (it was cold but actually made out of plastic? Very confusing!) Saturday we decided to go searching for an outback steakhouse…which took approximately 2.5 hours to find…and then after a (great) cheeseburger decided to call it an early night
Sunday (Happy father’s day!) may have been one of the best days of my entire 21 years of life. No joke. One of the girls from school who lives in Hong Kong took us all out on her father’s yacht for the day and we sailed through the harbor and out to the outer islands outside of Hong Kong. The views were mainly of huge rocky cliffs and beautiful beaches and looked like something straight out of the tv show LOST. I expected clouds of black smoke and the “others” to appear at any minute! We stopped for lunch at her father’s club house and had a delicious meal of dim sum, noodles, duck, and other Chinese delicacies and then sailed on to a really nice beach where a smaller rubber boat took us to shore for a couple hours. The water was really clear, although warm and probably not that clean since there were typhoons a couple days ago, and we did some nice walks over the cliffs and to a freshwater creek nearby. The sun was quite strong, but as soon as it became evening and the breezes picked up it was truly paradise. The ride back at high speed over the bumpy waters was more terrifying than any roller coaster, but I managed to not throw up or fall overboard! We then were treated to another great meal of “Shanghai-nese” food...it was quite spicy and I by mistake ate a huge pepper and then burned my mouth gulping down tea afterwards. Very classy. For summer solstice last night they dimmed all the lights of the buildings on the harbor and set up telescopes for stargazing, but it was too cloudy and smogy to really see much of anything. Cool idea though! The skyline looks quite different without all of the multi-colored lights.
Pictures to follow!
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Views of Hong Kong
Night in Central Hong Kong
View of the harbor from the Star Ferry
View from my room!
View from Lili and Jay's apartment in Repulse Bay
Again
Monday, June 15, 2009
No, I have not tried Shark Fin Soup
Well after my first weekend in Hong Kong, I can say that I am truly beginning to appreciate the unique mixture of malls, beaches, mountains, and temples that this island packs in to a relatively small space. Unfortunately, mosquitoes also seem to appreciate it—my entire body is covered in the evidence of their love bites (despite the 3948 layers of bug spray I apply several times a day) and I expect to begin to look like a one giant bug bite by the end of the summer.
Friday night we enjoyed a great dinner in Kowloon near my dorms—a little tricky since the entire menu was in Cantonese with no pictures or English translations. Picking a random entrée worked out well this time, although that may not always be a reliable method in the future. Then headed to Central Hong Kong Island via the Star Ferry (cheapest ferry in the world..about 25 cents for a single ride) in order to enjoy the harbor and skyline at night. We went to this district called Lang Fei Wang which was teeming with students, tourists, and expats enjoying imaginatively themed bars and lounges. It was crowded and colorful, but not that different from the nightlife in any other city…felt remarkably similar to Barcelona, Bombay, or Budapest.
Saturday we took a twenty minute train ride to the new territories north of Kowloon and climbed a mountain to reach a Buddhist monastery complex called “monastery of 10,000 buddhas” (there are actually 12,800). It was nice to escape some of the city noise and smog, and the mountain views were quite serene and beautiful. Tried to count the buddhas, gave up around number 500. Received approximately 12,800 bug bites as well. That evening my roommate Emile and I were invited from some friends I met in Prague to a very exclusive, members’ only lounge called m1nt (not a typo, just some sort of creative play on words?). One wall was actually a shark tank….I don’t think additional description is required.
Sunday we had dim sum for Sunday brunch (I tried jelly fish…it was pretty gross) and then walked around the malls and street markets of the Mong Kok area (where all three of the recent acid attacks have occurred). I haven’t really enjoyed going to the mall since my days as a middle school brat, but it is a cultural staple of Hong Kong where the air-conditioning and modern amenities offer relief from the hot and crowded streets. A mall by my house offers 11 levels of high-end shopping, at least 50 dining options, a move theater, grocery store, bowling alley, and even a ice-skating rink. People here seem to use malls as a one-stop for entertainment, shopping, exercise, and socializing. I think I will learn to appreciate “malling” again over the next few months. The street markets (which include a jade market, bird market, “ladies” market, etc.) are especially smelly, hot, and claustrophobic compared to the cool calm of the high-rise malls, but the bargaining was fun. I learned not to ask for prices or look too hard at anything after having to run away from pushy shopgirls afterwards—an indicative conversation went as follows:
Me: “excuse me, how much is this purse/cell phone cover/tacky watch?”
Shopgirl: “150 dollar”
Me: “No, thanks, that’s too much”
Shopgirl: “Okay, 100 dollar”
Me: (not really interested anyway) “No, sorry, thanks” (starts to walk away)
Shopgirl (chasing me down the street): “Okay okay for you, very special price, 50 dollar. No? 25 dollar? 20 dollar? 10 dollar? Come back, come back, how much you pay?”
Me: *Runs away*
Shopgirl: *Pursues me for about 5 minutes before giving up with a disgusted look*
Figured out the picture thing, so look for some later today!
Friday night we enjoyed a great dinner in Kowloon near my dorms—a little tricky since the entire menu was in Cantonese with no pictures or English translations. Picking a random entrée worked out well this time, although that may not always be a reliable method in the future. Then headed to Central Hong Kong Island via the Star Ferry (cheapest ferry in the world..about 25 cents for a single ride) in order to enjoy the harbor and skyline at night. We went to this district called Lang Fei Wang which was teeming with students, tourists, and expats enjoying imaginatively themed bars and lounges. It was crowded and colorful, but not that different from the nightlife in any other city…felt remarkably similar to Barcelona, Bombay, or Budapest.
Saturday we took a twenty minute train ride to the new territories north of Kowloon and climbed a mountain to reach a Buddhist monastery complex called “monastery of 10,000 buddhas” (there are actually 12,800). It was nice to escape some of the city noise and smog, and the mountain views were quite serene and beautiful. Tried to count the buddhas, gave up around number 500. Received approximately 12,800 bug bites as well. That evening my roommate Emile and I were invited from some friends I met in Prague to a very exclusive, members’ only lounge called m1nt (not a typo, just some sort of creative play on words?). One wall was actually a shark tank….I don’t think additional description is required.
Sunday we had dim sum for Sunday brunch (I tried jelly fish…it was pretty gross) and then walked around the malls and street markets of the Mong Kok area (where all three of the recent acid attacks have occurred). I haven’t really enjoyed going to the mall since my days as a middle school brat, but it is a cultural staple of Hong Kong where the air-conditioning and modern amenities offer relief from the hot and crowded streets. A mall by my house offers 11 levels of high-end shopping, at least 50 dining options, a move theater, grocery store, bowling alley, and even a ice-skating rink. People here seem to use malls as a one-stop for entertainment, shopping, exercise, and socializing. I think I will learn to appreciate “malling” again over the next few months. The street markets (which include a jade market, bird market, “ladies” market, etc.) are especially smelly, hot, and claustrophobic compared to the cool calm of the high-rise malls, but the bargaining was fun. I learned not to ask for prices or look too hard at anything after having to run away from pushy shopgirls afterwards—an indicative conversation went as follows:
Me: “excuse me, how much is this purse/cell phone cover/tacky watch?”
Shopgirl: “150 dollar”
Me: “No, thanks, that’s too much”
Shopgirl: “Okay, 100 dollar”
Me: (not really interested anyway) “No, sorry, thanks” (starts to walk away)
Shopgirl (chasing me down the street): “Okay okay for you, very special price, 50 dollar. No? 25 dollar? 20 dollar? 10 dollar? Come back, come back, how much you pay?”
Me: *Runs away*
Shopgirl: *Pursues me for about 5 minutes before giving up with a disgusted look*
Figured out the picture thing, so look for some later today!
Friday, June 12, 2009
Swine Flu, Typhoons, and Noodle Soup
I am writing this from work, which may or may not be allowed...I never did quite finish reading through the fifty-page packet of Turner Broadcasting Rules and Regulations. In my defense, it was also double-sided and in 10 pt. font.
I, along with the rest of the Columbia students in the Columbia Experiences Overseas (conveniently acronymed CEO in a prediction of our certain future titles) have moved into our housing in the NTT International House of Hong Kong Baptist University at 32 Renfrew Road in Kowloon Tong on Kowloon Tong Island, Hong Kong. Quite a long address, but you should send me mail/cookies anyways. The housing is less dorm-like or apartment-like and more like a low-budget hotel. We have (almost) the entire floor, and the rooms come with identical double beds, maid service (yay for fresh towels daily!), tiny showers, and "tea-making facilities"...also known as a hot water heater. We also have refridgerators and color TVs, with CNN (represent) being the only English channel. My view from the 11th story is dingy by day, but a beautiful city panoroma at night. Looking at the colorful, brilliant lights of the city skyline it is easy to see where Hong Kong's huge pollution and environmental problems may begin. But at least I have a cool view. Still trying to figure out how to upload pictures.
So far I haven't done much but commute to and from work, run around the office, try to find food, and get lost between my dorm and the subway station. My office is in an area called Quarry Bay which is a megaplex of offices on the north end of Hong Kong Island. I live in a quieter residential area on Kowloon so theoretically I could take a ferry to work, although so far I'm still trying to figure out the subway systems. My one experience in a taxi was a bit hilarious: I had my destination written in Cantonese on a post-it which the guy seemed to understand fine and we took off, no problem. However, he five minutes later started trying to have an urgent conversation with me, the only words of which i understood was "mother," "go now," and "okay." I somehow took this to mean we were picking up his mother on the way to my destination. I soon realized this was probably not the case when he started pulling up to other taxis and trying it pawn me off on them, eventually just depositing me and all my bags on a random side street in Central Hong Kong.. Seems his mother was more important than my taxi fare.
Today i also spent some time at the Mandarin Oriental (even more politically incorrect given the location) with my boss, interviewing the "Chinese equivalent to Oprah" who has currently sold 10 million copies of her book on pop-Confucianism. My favorite part (and the only part I can actually mention until the article comes out) is when her assistant asked me if I wanted my water cold, warm, or hot. Yes, boiling water is apparantly a common beverage choice. Go figure.
So far I am not a huge fan of this city--too hot and humid, I ruined my favorite shoes in the rain, and common menu items include "cheese pig knuckles" and "cottlefish balls." I had McDonalds today for the first time since Happy Meals came with Hot Wheels. I think we will do some sightseeing and hiking this weekend though, and hopefully the island and its people will begin to grow on me!
I, along with the rest of the Columbia students in the Columbia Experiences Overseas (conveniently acronymed CEO in a prediction of our certain future titles) have moved into our housing in the NTT International House of Hong Kong Baptist University at 32 Renfrew Road in Kowloon Tong on Kowloon Tong Island, Hong Kong. Quite a long address, but you should send me mail/cookies anyways. The housing is less dorm-like or apartment-like and more like a low-budget hotel. We have (almost) the entire floor, and the rooms come with identical double beds, maid service (yay for fresh towels daily!), tiny showers, and "tea-making facilities"...also known as a hot water heater. We also have refridgerators and color TVs, with CNN (represent) being the only English channel. My view from the 11th story is dingy by day, but a beautiful city panoroma at night. Looking at the colorful, brilliant lights of the city skyline it is easy to see where Hong Kong's huge pollution and environmental problems may begin. But at least I have a cool view. Still trying to figure out how to upload pictures.
So far I haven't done much but commute to and from work, run around the office, try to find food, and get lost between my dorm and the subway station. My office is in an area called Quarry Bay which is a megaplex of offices on the north end of Hong Kong Island. I live in a quieter residential area on Kowloon so theoretically I could take a ferry to work, although so far I'm still trying to figure out the subway systems. My one experience in a taxi was a bit hilarious: I had my destination written in Cantonese on a post-it which the guy seemed to understand fine and we took off, no problem. However, he five minutes later started trying to have an urgent conversation with me, the only words of which i understood was "mother," "go now," and "okay." I somehow took this to mean we were picking up his mother on the way to my destination. I soon realized this was probably not the case when he started pulling up to other taxis and trying it pawn me off on them, eventually just depositing me and all my bags on a random side street in Central Hong Kong.. Seems his mother was more important than my taxi fare.
Today i also spent some time at the Mandarin Oriental (even more politically incorrect given the location) with my boss, interviewing the "Chinese equivalent to Oprah" who has currently sold 10 million copies of her book on pop-Confucianism. My favorite part (and the only part I can actually mention until the article comes out) is when her assistant asked me if I wanted my water cold, warm, or hot. Yes, boiling water is apparantly a common beverage choice. Go figure.
So far I am not a huge fan of this city--too hot and humid, I ruined my favorite shoes in the rain, and common menu items include "cheese pig knuckles" and "cottlefish balls." I had McDonalds today for the first time since Happy Meals came with Hot Wheels. I think we will do some sightseeing and hiking this weekend though, and hopefully the island and its people will begin to grow on me!
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
One more thing...
To my family and extended/adopted family members who felt the need to complain when I sort of dropped the ball on updating the blog this semester, if you don't comment once in awhile I don't know that you are reading and then get unmotivated. So motivate me!
That is all.
PS. Another observation: they eat too much twice-cooked pork here. Including in their egg mcmuffins.
That is all.
PS. Another observation: they eat too much twice-cooked pork here. Including in their egg mcmuffins.
Around the world and back again
Well I am no longer in Eastern Europe! After a great week in Prague with the parents, and a couple days in Prague and Budapest with Kanchi Mausi and Yogita Mausi (some tales of which are not suitable for the readers of this blog...just kidding...) I packed up, said some tearful goodbyes, and headed back to good ole Georgia. Stayed just long enough to witness Shilp's graduation celebrations (congrats little sis!) and drink some sweet tea, and then went to New York to catch up with friends and take care of some business at school. Now, after a 29 hour journey (including a nine-hour nap in the Starbucks at Heathrow) I am in Hong Kong, China where humidity levels are currently at about 250%.
Hong Kong is a world away from Europe, and in my jet-lagged and culture shock-ed state I am having trouble even taking it all in. So far my initial impressions are of crowded shopping centers, huge skyskrapers, and breathtaking views of cliffs and the bay. I am staying in Repulse Bay with friends of Tilak Mama and they have the most gorgeous view from the gigantic windows in their high rise apartment...I will try to put up some pictures once i figure out my new Netbook computer.
Today was my first day at CNN International and it was exciting although a little anti-climatic. I expected reporters and anchors running around and lots of fast-talking and instantaneous "breaking news," but the truth is a little less glamorous. The office buildings are in Quarry Bay, where Time Warner owns 20 floors of a beautiful complex with more amazing views of the city skyline and great modern art and architecture. The newsroom is vast (although not as big at Atlanta's) and the reporters, cameramen, anchors, and TV and website producers are a truly international representation. I signed a contract today saying i wouldn't share any information about CNN on personal blogs, so I think i will stop there with my descriptions. The internship seems pretty exciting though, and I should be doing a good mix of research, writing, editing, video and audio feature production, and traveling with the newsteam and field reporters. I also get to produce my own special project over the next two months. Suggestions for topics are welcome! Found some great little local eatery for lunch with huge bowls of soup and noodles for dirt cheap. Hong Kong isn't turning out to be as expensive as I thought, thank goodness.
To Do List:
Find a hair straightener, pronto. Alternative: shave my head.
Learn some Cantonese
Figure out the transportation system after getting lost 2309482 times today
Track down decent coffee (the Chinese sure do like their tea)
Funny story: At lunch today they put milk in my green tea before serving it to me, with sugar on the side. According to my lonely planet guidebook the Chinese never drink milk in their tea so I can only guess they expected me as a foreigner/ethnically Indian to not know how to drink tea properly. The guy also chased me about four blocks after I "overpaid" for lunch by about $10 HKD (less than a 10% tip)
Tomorrow the rest of the Columbia students interning in Hong Kong this summer for various publications, research institutes, museums, and finance firms will arrive and we all move into housing at Hong Kong Baptist University. Still trying to figure out how I'm going to lug my stuff across two islands and the bay. Wish me luck!
Hong Kong is a world away from Europe, and in my jet-lagged and culture shock-ed state I am having trouble even taking it all in. So far my initial impressions are of crowded shopping centers, huge skyskrapers, and breathtaking views of cliffs and the bay. I am staying in Repulse Bay with friends of Tilak Mama and they have the most gorgeous view from the gigantic windows in their high rise apartment...I will try to put up some pictures once i figure out my new Netbook computer.
Today was my first day at CNN International and it was exciting although a little anti-climatic. I expected reporters and anchors running around and lots of fast-talking and instantaneous "breaking news," but the truth is a little less glamorous. The office buildings are in Quarry Bay, where Time Warner owns 20 floors of a beautiful complex with more amazing views of the city skyline and great modern art and architecture. The newsroom is vast (although not as big at Atlanta's) and the reporters, cameramen, anchors, and TV and website producers are a truly international representation. I signed a contract today saying i wouldn't share any information about CNN on personal blogs, so I think i will stop there with my descriptions. The internship seems pretty exciting though, and I should be doing a good mix of research, writing, editing, video and audio feature production, and traveling with the newsteam and field reporters. I also get to produce my own special project over the next two months. Suggestions for topics are welcome! Found some great little local eatery for lunch with huge bowls of soup and noodles for dirt cheap. Hong Kong isn't turning out to be as expensive as I thought, thank goodness.
To Do List:
Find a hair straightener, pronto. Alternative: shave my head.
Learn some Cantonese
Figure out the transportation system after getting lost 2309482 times today
Track down decent coffee (the Chinese sure do like their tea)
Funny story: At lunch today they put milk in my green tea before serving it to me, with sugar on the side. According to my lonely planet guidebook the Chinese never drink milk in their tea so I can only guess they expected me as a foreigner/ethnically Indian to not know how to drink tea properly. The guy also chased me about four blocks after I "overpaid" for lunch by about $10 HKD (less than a 10% tip)
Tomorrow the rest of the Columbia students interning in Hong Kong this summer for various publications, research institutes, museums, and finance firms will arrive and we all move into housing at Hong Kong Baptist University. Still trying to figure out how I'm going to lug my stuff across two islands and the bay. Wish me luck!
Monday, May 4, 2009
London Pictures: G20 Riots and Double-Decker buses
Me posing with a window display
My roommate Paige in front of the National Gallery--the free museums in London were amazing!
Our double-decker bus after it got into a pretty bad crash with another bus
The rioters in Hyde Park
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Travels, Travels, Travels...
Not too much time to update (what else is new!) but here is a quick list of stuff that has happened that i promise to elaborate on later!
--Visited my roommate Paige in London! Was there during the G20 riots and my doubledecker bus got into a wreck
--Spring came to Prague! It is absolutely gorgeous and I want to spend every second outside just in case it gets cold and decides to snow again. Temperature are in the 70s and every day is sunny :)
--I am on spring break and currently in Barcelona, Spain. Traveled to Rome last Friday with my roommates in Prague, where i met up with the 3-unit Lal family visiting all the way from Connecticut. Enjoyed a lovely drive (and lovely food!) through Rome, Florence, Siena, and Venice with them, where I met back up with my roommates and flew to Spain. Loved Rome, adored Venice, and don't want to ever leave Barcelona! But i will be returning to Prague Sunday afternoon. Had some interesting hostel experiences that I will share when i have time.
--My parents are coming to visit next weekend and Kanchi mausi and Yogita mausi are coming two weeks after that, so there shall be lots of quality family time in Eastern Europe in the coming month. And then I'm back state-side (for two weeks) on May 23rd...I can't believe this semester has gone by so fast!
Ciao for now, Buenos Noches!
--Visited my roommate Paige in London! Was there during the G20 riots and my doubledecker bus got into a wreck
--Spring came to Prague! It is absolutely gorgeous and I want to spend every second outside just in case it gets cold and decides to snow again. Temperature are in the 70s and every day is sunny :)
--I am on spring break and currently in Barcelona, Spain. Traveled to Rome last Friday with my roommates in Prague, where i met up with the 3-unit Lal family visiting all the way from Connecticut. Enjoyed a lovely drive (and lovely food!) through Rome, Florence, Siena, and Venice with them, where I met back up with my roommates and flew to Spain. Loved Rome, adored Venice, and don't want to ever leave Barcelona! But i will be returning to Prague Sunday afternoon. Had some interesting hostel experiences that I will share when i have time.
--My parents are coming to visit next weekend and Kanchi mausi and Yogita mausi are coming two weeks after that, so there shall be lots of quality family time in Eastern Europe in the coming month. And then I'm back state-side (for two weeks) on May 23rd...I can't believe this semester has gone by so fast!
Ciao for now, Buenos Noches!
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Olomouc and Berlin....
Dobry Den! Sorry I haven't been good about updating...too much traveling (and studying, of course) to have a chance to catch my breath!
Last weekend we made a trip to Olomouc, a small town in Moravia about 2 and a half hours from Prague. I missed the train my friends were on, so ended up on the next train by myself, which should have been fine....except it broke down in the middle of nowhere and I had to hike to the next station and catch another train! As soon as I left Prague the percentage of English-speaking Czechs dropped dramatically, so finding my way around was a bit of a hassle! I somehow managed to make it to the town, meet up with friends at the hostel, and had a lovely dinner at an awesome restaurant (for four dollars :) ) The next day we did some sightseeing...saw a couple of cathedrals, museums, and the Communmist created clocktower--celebrating the proletariat workers every day at noon--before heading back to Prague. It was a nice break from the busy city!
This past weekend was our school overnight trip to Berlin, and I have to say that I am glad to be back in Prague! German cities are so large and impersonal compared to the other European cities I have visited, and the people are far less friendly and willing to help out lost tourists. We did a great walking tour of the city on Friday and then visited the Jewish history museum on Saturday. I also went to a good modern art museum and this very cool archeology museum where they had reconstructed the ruins of ancient Greek, Roman, and Babylonian cities. Sunday we stopped in Potsdam on our way home to visit the site of the famous Potsdam conferences from the end of World War II. It was a very pretty ride home through the German and Czech countryside and a relief to get back to our apartment late Sunday evening :)
This week has been midterms and entertaining visiting friends. I don't think I have mentioned that I have a very cool "class" that is basically a walking tour around Prague once a week with Czech grad students. We have discovered some very interested, unknown sites of the city through this class--for example, a hidden network of tunnels under the city used for "modern satanic worship." I also have done some exploring on the other side of the river, in Mala Strana, around the castle and old fortresses. The views of Prague are really extraordinary, but elusive, and I continue my quest to catch them on film.
I leave for London to visit my Columbia roommate Paige and other friends from school, but I will try to put up pictures before then! I have also booked spring break tickets and will be visiting Rome, Venice, and Barcelona April 10th-April 20th. Getting back to real life in September is going to be a struggle after this!
na schledanou!
Last weekend we made a trip to Olomouc, a small town in Moravia about 2 and a half hours from Prague. I missed the train my friends were on, so ended up on the next train by myself, which should have been fine....except it broke down in the middle of nowhere and I had to hike to the next station and catch another train! As soon as I left Prague the percentage of English-speaking Czechs dropped dramatically, so finding my way around was a bit of a hassle! I somehow managed to make it to the town, meet up with friends at the hostel, and had a lovely dinner at an awesome restaurant (for four dollars :) ) The next day we did some sightseeing...saw a couple of cathedrals, museums, and the Communmist created clocktower--celebrating the proletariat workers every day at noon--before heading back to Prague. It was a nice break from the busy city!
This past weekend was our school overnight trip to Berlin, and I have to say that I am glad to be back in Prague! German cities are so large and impersonal compared to the other European cities I have visited, and the people are far less friendly and willing to help out lost tourists. We did a great walking tour of the city on Friday and then visited the Jewish history museum on Saturday. I also went to a good modern art museum and this very cool archeology museum where they had reconstructed the ruins of ancient Greek, Roman, and Babylonian cities. Sunday we stopped in Potsdam on our way home to visit the site of the famous Potsdam conferences from the end of World War II. It was a very pretty ride home through the German and Czech countryside and a relief to get back to our apartment late Sunday evening :)
This week has been midterms and entertaining visiting friends. I don't think I have mentioned that I have a very cool "class" that is basically a walking tour around Prague once a week with Czech grad students. We have discovered some very interested, unknown sites of the city through this class--for example, a hidden network of tunnels under the city used for "modern satanic worship." I also have done some exploring on the other side of the river, in Mala Strana, around the castle and old fortresses. The views of Prague are really extraordinary, but elusive, and I continue my quest to catch them on film.
I leave for London to visit my Columbia roommate Paige and other friends from school, but I will try to put up pictures before then! I have also booked spring break tickets and will be visiting Rome, Venice, and Barcelona April 10th-April 20th. Getting back to real life in September is going to be a struggle after this!
na schledanou!
Monday, March 16, 2009
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Budapest!
Dobry den!
I am back from a three-day stint in Budapest, Hungary and it was an excellent adventure! I took a 7 am train on Friday morning with no expectations for the city.... after living in Prague, I didn't feel like any other Eastern European capital could compare. I am in love with Budapest though...its a sprawling city across two sides of a river (Buda and Pest) with a great art collections and museums, ancient monuments, friendly people, good food, and a much more laid-back nightlife. I think the best adjective to describe the city would be eclectic. I feel like wherever I went or whatever I did my thoughts were "really? things/places/food/people like this actually exist?"
I have friends from school who are studying in Budapest, but elected to stay in a wonderful little hostel outside the city called Backpack Guesthouse with some other students in my program. It is what I imagine a commune in 1970s Northern California would be like...bright and colorful with a communal kitchen, outdoor garden, tv and game room, and lots of pet cats. The characters we encountered were colorful to say the least, but it was definitely an experience. The backyard even had a large, authentic Mongolian tent (called a Yurt I believe) that two Mongolian guests built when they were staying there last year. Some of the kids tried to sleep in the hammocks in the Yurt, but it wasn't quite warm enough to do that.
I did a lot of sightseeing (and getting lost) around the big castle and hill in the Buda area and some of the museums and baths on the Pest side. Budapest was built on a collection of hot springs, so there are public baths (kind of like giant outdoor hot tubs) dating back to the ancient civilizations that you can go relax in and get massages, enjoy the sauna, etc. After being cold for a month, relaxing in the hot water felt like heaven. I had a hard time leaving!
All in all it was a great weekend and a great first travel experience! I hope everyone enjoyed Dad's 50th birthday and I was really sad to miss it! The pictures look great though!
I have also accepted an internship with CNN international in Hong Kong for the summer so I guess I won't be living stateside for quite awhile...can't wait!
Na schledanou!
I am back from a three-day stint in Budapest, Hungary and it was an excellent adventure! I took a 7 am train on Friday morning with no expectations for the city.... after living in Prague, I didn't feel like any other Eastern European capital could compare. I am in love with Budapest though...its a sprawling city across two sides of a river (Buda and Pest) with a great art collections and museums, ancient monuments, friendly people, good food, and a much more laid-back nightlife. I think the best adjective to describe the city would be eclectic. I feel like wherever I went or whatever I did my thoughts were "really? things/places/food/people like this actually exist?"
I have friends from school who are studying in Budapest, but elected to stay in a wonderful little hostel outside the city called Backpack Guesthouse with some other students in my program. It is what I imagine a commune in 1970s Northern California would be like...bright and colorful with a communal kitchen, outdoor garden, tv and game room, and lots of pet cats. The characters we encountered were colorful to say the least, but it was definitely an experience. The backyard even had a large, authentic Mongolian tent (called a Yurt I believe) that two Mongolian guests built when they were staying there last year. Some of the kids tried to sleep in the hammocks in the Yurt, but it wasn't quite warm enough to do that.
I did a lot of sightseeing (and getting lost) around the big castle and hill in the Buda area and some of the museums and baths on the Pest side. Budapest was built on a collection of hot springs, so there are public baths (kind of like giant outdoor hot tubs) dating back to the ancient civilizations that you can go relax in and get massages, enjoy the sauna, etc. After being cold for a month, relaxing in the hot water felt like heaven. I had a hard time leaving!
All in all it was a great weekend and a great first travel experience! I hope everyone enjoyed Dad's 50th birthday and I was really sad to miss it! The pictures look great though!
I have also accepted an internship with CNN international in Hong Kong for the summer so I guess I won't be living stateside for quite awhile...can't wait!
Na schledanou!
Monday, March 2, 2009
Some More Pictures....
Top to bottom: Old Town Square at night, two views from the Charles Bridge, my bedroom!
An abridged two weeks...
Dobry vecher!
I'm sorry i have not updated in awhile...my internet was stuck in Czech and I (embarrassingly enough) do not know enough Czech to figure out how to use this website!
So a brief list of the highlights of the last two weeks:
* I started classes, which are interesting although long (3 hour lectures) and a bit boring (the teachers are very very monotonous). I am taking two political science classes, an economics class, a comparative film class, a Prague "walking tour" class, and a Czech class. My teachers, while not that engaging, are very prominent Czech intellectuals--my Constitutionalism teacher actually wrote the Czech constitution in 1993 which is pretty interesting!
* I have been a tourist and visited the National Museum, the Dali Museum, the Charles Bridge, the St. Agnes Convent Museum, the Andy Warhol exhibit, Bethlehem Cathedral, and a bunch of other places! I am still getting lost a lot, but really starting to figure out how to get around by foot or using the trams and metro. I've realized that the streets and maps are very difficult to figure out and it's much easier to just remember landmarks and buildings. The nice thing is that it's a small city so i can easily remember the whole city center area!
* I went to the State Opera house last weekend and saw Strauss' Die Fioderhauss (sp?) which was hilarious and very entertaining. They had subtitles in Czech and English so I could follow the story line.
* I went with my program on a day trip outside Prague on Friday to see some little towns in the countryside, an old summer palace, and visit a vineyard and wine cellar (and do a wine tasting). It was great to get outside of the city for a bit and the countryside and mountains were very beautiful. We were off the regular tourist track and almost nobody spoke English, which was an interesting change from the area I live in.
I actually have homework to do for tomorrow, something i haven't experience in a while, so this will have to be short! I will update again soon and put up some more pictures!
Also, this blog may be following me to Hong Kong this summer...stay tuned...
I'm sorry i have not updated in awhile...my internet was stuck in Czech and I (embarrassingly enough) do not know enough Czech to figure out how to use this website!
So a brief list of the highlights of the last two weeks:
* I started classes, which are interesting although long (3 hour lectures) and a bit boring (the teachers are very very monotonous). I am taking two political science classes, an economics class, a comparative film class, a Prague "walking tour" class, and a Czech class. My teachers, while not that engaging, are very prominent Czech intellectuals--my Constitutionalism teacher actually wrote the Czech constitution in 1993 which is pretty interesting!
* I have been a tourist and visited the National Museum, the Dali Museum, the Charles Bridge, the St. Agnes Convent Museum, the Andy Warhol exhibit, Bethlehem Cathedral, and a bunch of other places! I am still getting lost a lot, but really starting to figure out how to get around by foot or using the trams and metro. I've realized that the streets and maps are very difficult to figure out and it's much easier to just remember landmarks and buildings. The nice thing is that it's a small city so i can easily remember the whole city center area!
* I went to the State Opera house last weekend and saw Strauss' Die Fioderhauss (sp?) which was hilarious and very entertaining. They had subtitles in Czech and English so I could follow the story line.
* I went with my program on a day trip outside Prague on Friday to see some little towns in the countryside, an old summer palace, and visit a vineyard and wine cellar (and do a wine tasting). It was great to get outside of the city for a bit and the countryside and mountains were very beautiful. We were off the regular tourist track and almost nobody spoke English, which was an interesting change from the area I live in.
I actually have homework to do for tomorrow, something i haven't experience in a while, so this will have to be short! I will update again soon and put up some more pictures!
Also, this blog may be following me to Hong Kong this summer...stay tuned...
Monday, February 16, 2009
Some pictures....
From top: Prague Castle, Wenceslas Square, Astronomical Clock, My apartment building!
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